Everything's better in Paris Past Review
By Victoria J (French Language and Literature., Barnard College) for
Columbia University: Paris - Reid Hall
Most definitely worthwhile. I think my reading and writing skills in French have definitely improved, and I've always wanted to tour Europe, which is incredibly easy to do from here.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | Paris 4, Paris 7 |
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Courses in the University system are incredibly, incredibly difficult. At least in my Paris 7 class my teacher was extremely welcoming and understanding that the four Americans in the class were in fact Americans, and she was very sweet and helpful and lenient. In comparison, my experience at Paris 4 has been that there are almost no allowances made for American/Erasmus/foreign students of any type. Reid Hall has several programs in place to help you out with your classes, but they're imperfect and University classes can thus be very stressful and difficult. I have loved experiencing them and they're very interesting, but they make this a serious study abroad program with an additional language barrier. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
My host mother was incredibly sensitive to my preferences for food, and even paid attention to what I did and did not like to be able to make suggestions for new cheeses, etc. that she thought I would enjoy. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Any big city has it's rough areas and it's dangers, but if you're just as aware of your surroundings in Paris as you have to be normally in New York, you shouldn't have any problems. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Making your own food is infinitely more cheaper than going out to a restaurant. It is of course worth it to go out every so often with your friends and see Paris from that angle. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | several advanced French literature electives |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
Everyday interactions on the street, with Reid Hall personnel, with my host mother, in University classes and in academic assignments. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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